Sunday, March 06, 2005
Are You Kidding?
Yeah, I'd say that's the theme of the day. With the entire day full of basketball upsets (Florida over Kentucky, Ohio St. over Illinois (!!!!), Mizzou over Kansas) and one respectable win, even if it pissed me off (UNC over Duke - had Duke won, Wake would have been the ACC Champs), I was nervous enough going into tonight's regular season closer against NC State, a bubble team. By the beginning of the second half, we were looking like we fell out of the ugly-and-can't-play basketball-tree, hitting every branch on the way down. Good Lord, was it awful! We went 8 scoreless minutes to take us to the final minute and a half behind by three. Then we score, down by one, they score, down by three, Gray hits an amazing three-pointer to tie it up, they shoot and miss, it goes out of bounds on them. Seconds left. Paul checks the ball in down court, dashes up and gets the pass, takes it to outside the paint and in an incredible display of pure athleticism, jumps and fades away tossing the ball up with one hand as the buzzer goes off, sinking it for the 55-53 win. Heart, start beating again please. Thankfully, we came away with the W, but we need to look ALOT better by Friday.
Now, the second half of the "are you kidding?" motif involved where we watched the game and why. Originally, the game was scheduled to be watched at Kate's new apartment. When I arrive, meeting Julia downstairs, Kate informs us her cable company has blocked out that game for some reason (maybe they were pissed the Illnini lost and so cancelled everyone's bball enjoyment for the day?). We didn't know what to do. Caroline called - she was downstairs with a friend who had graduated WFU our year but had just moved to Chicago this week from Atlanta with her job (I could listen to her all night - that sweet sweet Southern accent I miss so much up here...). We met them downstairs and said we have to go to a bar, the first bar we find, cause otherwise we'll miss the game. We start walking and come to a bar shortly. Going inside we ask if they get the channel - they do - we cheer, and sit down. Ordering a round of drinks, we watch the first few minutes. The bartender seemed interested in the game but didn't know who to cheer for - we informed her. Soon, the game was on both TV's and the whole bar was cheering for the Deacons, well, all 6 patrons, and the bartender bought us a round of drinks. It was only then we began to hear the background music - Madonna. Madonna in a local dive bar? Then Kate casually reminded us that her move did, in fact, place her firmly into Lakeview, better known as Boy's Town. I laughed my head off thinking, "They'll get a kick out this at school!" So, here we were, a group of 20-somethings from a small conservative Southern school invading a local gay dive bar called "The Closet" to watch the game because we couldn't get the channel. The bartender says if we wanted to order a pizza we could; so, we did. It was a sight to see - the six of us sitting firmly in the middle of the floor on stools of this bar, eating pizza, and educating the other patrons on who to root for. One guy walks in and he had the look about him of the kind of man who has come to this bar, every day, for the last 37 years. He walked past us to the restroom utterly befuddled. It was hilarious. When the last shot went up and the buzzer sounded, we erupted into loud cheering and screaming much to the amusement of the other clientele. We walked out thanking them for letting us invade for the night and cheer on our team - it was a blast. Like, I said - "Are you kidding?" No, no I'm not.
-R
Now, the second half of the "are you kidding?" motif involved where we watched the game and why. Originally, the game was scheduled to be watched at Kate's new apartment. When I arrive, meeting Julia downstairs, Kate informs us her cable company has blocked out that game for some reason (maybe they were pissed the Illnini lost and so cancelled everyone's bball enjoyment for the day?). We didn't know what to do. Caroline called - she was downstairs with a friend who had graduated WFU our year but had just moved to Chicago this week from Atlanta with her job (I could listen to her all night - that sweet sweet Southern accent I miss so much up here...). We met them downstairs and said we have to go to a bar, the first bar we find, cause otherwise we'll miss the game. We start walking and come to a bar shortly. Going inside we ask if they get the channel - they do - we cheer, and sit down. Ordering a round of drinks, we watch the first few minutes. The bartender seemed interested in the game but didn't know who to cheer for - we informed her. Soon, the game was on both TV's and the whole bar was cheering for the Deacons, well, all 6 patrons, and the bartender bought us a round of drinks. It was only then we began to hear the background music - Madonna. Madonna in a local dive bar? Then Kate casually reminded us that her move did, in fact, place her firmly into Lakeview, better known as Boy's Town. I laughed my head off thinking, "They'll get a kick out this at school!" So, here we were, a group of 20-somethings from a small conservative Southern school invading a local gay dive bar called "The Closet" to watch the game because we couldn't get the channel. The bartender says if we wanted to order a pizza we could; so, we did. It was a sight to see - the six of us sitting firmly in the middle of the floor on stools of this bar, eating pizza, and educating the other patrons on who to root for. One guy walks in and he had the look about him of the kind of man who has come to this bar, every day, for the last 37 years. He walked past us to the restroom utterly befuddled. It was hilarious. When the last shot went up and the buzzer sounded, we erupted into loud cheering and screaming much to the amusement of the other clientele. We walked out thanking them for letting us invade for the night and cheer on our team - it was a blast. Like, I said - "Are you kidding?" No, no I'm not.
-R
1 Comments:
K,
I'm not making excuses. I'm telling a story. We couldn't watch the game in the apt. where we originally wanted too because of cable issues and the game had already started so we went ot the first bar we found. I wasn't "weirded out" as you say either. I spend all day with people of all sexual orientations, if you'll recall. The are you kidding part refers to the fact that if last week you had told me that I would watch the last regular season Wake game at a gay bar, I would have said, "Are you kidding?" Nor do I really have any "fears/suspicions" that needed to be laid to rest. For the last time, I am not afraid of gay people.
-R
